RECENT STORIES
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by Jonathan Perri · May 19, 2012 · CRIMINAL JUSTICERead More »
More than 230,000 people have signed the petition calling for an end to the practice of so called “aversive-therapy” at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, MA. The JRC delivers powerful electric shocks to special needs students, like those autism, as a form of therapy. Greg Miller, a former teacher at the JRC, started the petition because he saw first hand how students at the school were given electric shocks.Massachusetts lawmakers took notice and there is now a budget amendment in the Senate that would make it illegal in Massachusetts for schools to shock or withhold food from special needs students, like those with autism. Just a minute of your time today will stop this practice once and for all.
Sen. Brian Joyce introduced Amendment #548 to the Senate Ways and Means budget and they will go to the floor for a vote on Wednesday. So far, only one Senator is cosponsoring the amendment. Your Senators need to hear from you!
Massachusetts citizens across the state are taking action and calling their senators today to demand that they put an end to the painful shocking of special needs students. Will you help?
1.) Make the Call: dial the number for the Massachusetts State Senate Lobby at (617) 722-2000 and ask to be connected to your state senator’s office. If you’re not sure of their name, you can give your address.
2.) Speak Your Mind: let them know why you think your senator should support Amendment #548 to stop electric shock treatments, and how this will affect your vote.
If you’re stuck for ideas on what to say, here’s a sample script from Greg:
My name is ________ and I live in ________, MA. I'm calling to ask that (your Senator) co-sponsor and support Amendment #548 introduced by Senator Joyce. Amendment #548 would ban the torture of special needs children at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, MA. Please act immediately -- no human being deserves this sort of treatment, least of all vulnerable children.
3.) Spread the Word: Invite your friends to this Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/417348924971453/
The children at the Judge Rotenberg Center don’t have a voice. The United Nations investigated the school and called the use of shocks torture. Yet in Massachusetts, shocking special needs students is still perfectly legal. What is happening inside the JRC in Canton, Massachusetts is unlike any other program in the country.
Greg Miller wants you to know that taking just a minute to call your Massachusetts Senator could make the difference in these children's lives.
If you haven't seen video of what goes on inside the JRC, watch the video below (which the JRC fought to keep you from seeing) of Andre McCollins being shocked more than 30 times. His mother Cheryl went with Greg Miller to deliver more than 230,000 signatures to Massachusetts lawmakers earlier this month.
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by Pamela Black · Apr 24, 2012 · ANIMALSRead More »
A year has come and gone and 20 dolphins are still being kept illegally in substandard conditions as part of the Indonesian traveling circus industry. After it was discovered that the dolphins were acquired without the proper permits, the Indonesian government set up a Memorandum of Understanding last year to transfer the dolphins to Jakarta Animal Aid Network and Earth Island Institute for rehabilitation and release.The transfer was scheduled to take place on March 10, 2011. At the last minute, the Indonesian government backed out. The dolphins continue to be transported in tiny tanks and perform circus tricks while the brand new facility built to accommodate the dolphins’ rehab still stands empty.
Dismayed by the lack of action from the Indonesian government, Barbara Napoles launched a petition asking Indonesia to release the dolphins as agreed upon in the MOU. “These dolphins were wild-captured by fishermen and sold to the circus,” Barbara told me. “They, along with 52 other traveling circus dolphins, deserve better living conditions.”
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by Jonathan Perri · Apr 23, 2012 · CRIMINAL JUSTICERead More »
More than 80,000 people from around the world are now calling for the release of Jason Puracal, an American jailed in Nicaragua on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime. Without a shred of evidence, Jason was convicted on those charges and sentenced to 22 years in one of the world's most dangerous prisons - Nicaragua's La Modelo prison. His case has been examined by former DEA and FBI agents who have concluded that Jason is absolutely innocent. And the California Innocence Project has also taken on Jason's case.Despite the odds he faces, Jason's hopes are higher than ever before thanks to outpouring of support coming from the petition started by Eric Volz and Tom Cash on Change.org. From his cell in Nicaragua, Jason wrote a thank you letter to his supporters:
To the thousands of Change.org supporters,
My sisters traveled to Nicaragua last week and told me about the 80,000+ signatures to my petition. The emotional, mental, and financial toll this has taken on my family is devastating. But knowing that 80,000 people would take the time to learn about my story and stand up for me gives me strength to endure this living hell.Each day they visited, the first thing I would ask was for an update on the numbers. Knowing that the petition sends an email with each signature to our target U.S. and Nicaraguan representatives - it makes me feel as though thousands of fists are banging on the prison door demanding my release.La Modelo is loud and overcrowded with prisoners, but it is a lonely place. It's humbling to ask for the help of strangers, but please keep banging on those doors for me.Thank you,JasonAs Jason mentioned in his letter, this event has taken a financial toll on his family - the cost of an international defense effort to free an innocent American from wrongful imprisonment abroad can be more than a million dollars. In addition to signing and sharing Jason's petition, donations can also be made to his family at: http://www.freejason.squarespace.com/donateLearn more about Jason's story by watching this short video.
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by Rachel LaBruyere · Apr 20, 2012 · IMMIGRANT RIGHTSRead More »
On April 9th, Jose Melgar was on his way home from a trip to the grocery store with his mom and sister. Before reaching their house in Fort Myers, Florida, the family was surrounded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who demanded to see their documents. Ana requested permission to retrieve documents from their home and asked officers if they had a warrant. But, without producing a warrant, they entered the Melgar home, ripping through belongings, while Ana got her paperwork.Jose came to the United States with his family when he was 6 years old, escaping violence and terror in El Salvador. His mother, Ana, and his sister were both granted protected status, but Jose was not. Ana says that not only did officers ransack the family's belongings, they also beat Jose before arresting him -- and Ana's family is still not sure why.
Sign Adam Davis' petition calling for the Jose's release
Jose is now behind bars at Krome Detention Center, and Ana fears for his mental state. Jose was diagnosed with a mental disability while in school, and his family and friends worry that the combination of trauma from the arrest and beating alongside being held in prison might be too much for him. “My son, to this point, has done everything he can to go down the right track. He didn’t deserve to get detained, much less beaten, by ICE," says Ana.
Adam Davis, who started the petition calling for Jose's release, is part of a community project called the Collier County Neighborhood Stories project, which has the objective of collecting community testimonies regarding police-ICE encounters like Jose's. He says, "Considering the violence that was perpetrated against jose when he was detained, as well as his mental and physical condition, Jose should be freed on his own recognizance and retuned to the loving care of the family."
Jose, who would qualify for the DREAM Act, has a bond hearing on Tuesday, April 24th. Adam hopes that more supporters signing the petition will help. He and other advocates in Florida are also asking for phone calls to ICE requesting Jose's release.
From Adam:
Call ICE – John Morton @ 202.732.3000
Sample Script: “"Hi, I am calling to ask that Jose E. Lopez Melgar (A# 088-96-9036) be released from Krome Detention Center. Jose is a high school graduate with a mental disability. He should be released immediately on his own recognizance and returned to his family."
Sign Adam's petition asking for Jose's release - and then share it!
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by Mark Anthony Dingbaum · Apr 06, 2012 · GAY RIGHTSRead More »
Director Lee Hirsch and The Weinstein Company have announced that the documentary “Bully” will receive a “PG-13” rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) after more than 500,000 people, including 35 Members of Congress and celebrities like Ellen Degeneres and Meryl Streep, joined a campaign on Change.org started by a bullied high school student.Katy Butler, a 17 year-old student from Michigan who experienced extensive bullying when she came out as a lesbian in middle school, launched a petition on Change.org after learning that the MPAA had rejected an appeal to change the rating of "Bully" from "R" to "PG-13" so students could see the film.
Following news of the rating change, Butler issued a thank you to those who supported her campaign: “On behalf of the more than half a million supporters who joined me on Change.org in petitioning the MPAA, I want to express how grateful I am not only to the MPAA for lowering the rating without cutting a vital scene, but to all of the people who used their voices to put a national spotlight on this movie and its mission,” said Butler.
Butler’s campaign on Change.org attracted support from major international celebrities, with Ellen DeGeneres and Anderson Cooper inviting Butler to appear on their shows and urging their viewers to support her petition. In addition, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Demi Lovato, Randy Jackson, Kelly Ripa, Justin Bieber, Drew Brees, and several other celebrities all encouraged their fans to sign Katy’s petition or show support to “Bully."
Butler’s petition also gained support from 35 Members of Congress, who endorsed a congressional sign-on letter issued by Rep. Mike Honda (D-California) urging the MPAA to change “Bully’s” rating from “R” to “PG-13.” Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also tweeted their support for Katy's campaign to their followers on Twitter.
Butler started her petition on Change.org because she thought it was ridiculous that the "R" rating -- given for coarse, but real words used by bullies in the film -- was keeping the target audience from seeing this film: bullies and bully victims.
“The brief usage of language in this film reflects what so many kids hear each day in school when they’re being bullied," said Butler.
To view Katy Butler's Change.org petition, click here.
To view a Washington Post profile of Katy Butler, click here.
To view Katy Butler’s appearance on CBS This Morning, click here.
To view Katy Butler’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, click here.
To view Katy Butler’s appearance on FOX & Friends, click here.
Photo credit: Change.org
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by Sarah Ryan · Mar 27, 2012 · HUMAN RIGHTSRead More »
Dear Supporters:Only three weeks after launching my Change.org petition asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop the use of so-called “pink slime” (or lean, finely textured beef – “LFTB”) in ground beef destined for school food, we’ve seen some truly extraordinary changes take place.
A mere nine days into the petition (when we’d reached over 200,000 signatures), USDA announced that starting next school year it will offer school districts a choice of beef either with LFTB or without the filler. And since that announcement many school districts around the country, including New York City public schools, the nation’s largest district, have indicated they will take advantage of this option and phase out the use of LFTB by this coming fall. To have achieved this result in such a short time period is phenomenal and shows that our voices were heard loud and clear by USDA.
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by Michael Jones · Mar 26, 2012 · GAY RIGHTSRead More »The Weinstein Company has announced that “Bully,” the award-winning documentary about the epidemic of school bullying in the United States, will open in theaters on March 30 as “unrated” after nearly 500,000 people signed an extraordinarily popular online petition at Change.org demanding that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) remove the “R” rating initially given to the movie by the MPAA’s ratings board.
“I am happy ‘Bully’ will maintain its authenticity and will be an accurate portrayal of what thousands of kids experience every day,” said Katy Butler, a bullied high school student from Michigan who was outraged that the MPAA gave “Bully” an “R” rating by just one vote because of brief language. Butler, who had her finger broken by bullies in middle school, urged the MPAA to remove the “R” rating from “Bully” so that middle school and high school students would have a chance to see a movie that could potentially save their lives.
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by Ledy VanKavage · Mar 22, 2012 · ANIMALSRead More »
Amanda Kearney didn’t set out to be an activist. But when, like many other people, she unknowingly moved to a city — Wentzville, Missouri — where her dogs, Harley and Belle, faced harsh restrictions simply because of their appearance, she learned that you can take on city hall.“I called aldermen, reporters and news stations out of panic," Kearney said. "I don't look at my dogs just as pets; they are members of our family. It broke my heart to see them in muzzles and always on a leash in our fenced in backyard, I had to do something. It wasn't fair for them."
Luckily the majority of her neighborhood was extremely supportive. They wrote letters and made phone calls, too, giving character references for Kearney and her dogs. When Tyanna Flynn heard about Kearney's plight, she started a petition on Change.org. The petition was shared by community members on Facebook and gained more than 2,500 signatures.
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by Melanie Blow · Mar 21, 2012 · HUMAN RIGHTSRead More »
If someone speeds through a crosswalk and hits a child, injuring them permanently, an arrest will be made. In deciding what charges to press, the accused’s unhappiness about being punished is not taken into account. If the child’s family considers civil litigation, the defendant’s objection to the litigation isn’t taken into account. A cornerstone of our justice system is that fear of punishment makes someone less likely to commit a crime. -
by Katharine Segal · Mar 20, 2012 · GAY RIGHTSRead More »
Phillip Dawson is calling on 16 MPs to sever links with the charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education***) which co-sponsored a 'gay cure' conference in April 2009. Thanks to over 8,000 people who’ve joined Philip’s campaign, Liz Kendall MP and David Lammy MP have officially severed links with the charity.
Now Philip is asking supporters to increase the pressure on the remaining 16 MPs to break links permanently.
Tweet at MPs
Tweet at the MPs which have Twitter accounts -- click one of the messages below to tweet the message and show the MPs involved that this is an issue that people care about!
Tweet at David Burrowes MP
Tweet at Steve Webb MP
Tweet at Tim Farron MP
Tweet at John Glen MP
Tweet at Sharon Hodgsom MP
Tweet at Catherine McKinell MP
Take action on Facebook
Like Phillip’s "There is no cure for Love" image on Facebook -- Phillip has tagged all of the political parties in the post, so every time someone "Likes" or comments on the image, the parties will be notified via their Facebook pages.
Share the petition via email
All 16 MPs receive a notification every time an extra person signs Phillip’s petition, so ask more people to join the campaign and keep up the pressure.
***Please note that the charity involved is the Christian charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) which is not associated in any way with the charity CARE International***